


Never Grow Tired

by thesaroscycle



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Crying, Family, Gen, a little hurt but basically fluff, anxiousness, i dont know why i wrote this, idek, im sorry?, its not very good, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 12:26:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12911898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesaroscycle/pseuds/thesaroscycle
Summary: For once, Natsume's foster parents do something he never expected.Or, the adoption au someone needed to write bc im desperate





	Never Grow Tired

**Author's Note:**

> this? is so bad? im sorry? its so late and i really wanted to write something and this shits gonna be on the internet forever but i couldn't really care less so just. take it please   
> ALSO i know nothing about adoption??? at all???? and i couldn't focus enough to watch the vids on youtube so i just winged it. if i got anything wrong that doesnt totally debunk the whole fic i can try to fix it but other than that im sorry  
> anyway

_Ah,_ Natsume thinks, a familiar resigned, heavy feeling weighing on his heart as Touko-san’s words echo in his ears. _They’ve finally grown tired of me._

There could’ve been many things to set it off just this week—he remembered, vividly, the day he’d come back after a rainstorm with mud ground into his clothes, and when Touko-san, looking worried, had said she couldn’t fix them. And on Monday, when he’d come back too late after forgetting he was supposed to help Touko-san with chores. And the next day, where he’d run around the street corner so fast he’d knocked both him and Shigeru-san down onto the ground. And the day after that, and the next. . . They’d acted like it was just his normal antics, something else he couldn’t explain with a half-put-together lie. But something had obviously been a breaking point, and now he’d have to go away again.

 

When he’d come home with Touko-san waiting anxiously by the doorway, it seemed too familiar a sight to get too worried about. And then, she’d said, “Do you think we can talk tonight after dinner? Shigeru and I have something important to discuss.” She said it like it was meant to sound nonchalant, but he could see the worry in her eyes. He didn’t understand why he had to wait, or what they were waiting for, but it didn’t really matter. He already knew what it was; too many years of the same patterns and the same excuses piled into his head as he struggled to stay composed.

 

Outwardly, he’d managed to smile and agree docilely. Although he was leaving soon, he was determined not to bother them any more than he already had. He’d really, truly loved the Fujiwaras—they’d done everything other foster parents hadn’t, and he’d truly felt at home for the first time in years. For a moment, he loathed the thought of this place becoming like the others—just another place he’d lived once, just another town he couldn’t visit without some echo of what could’ve been. Just for a moment, he wanted to beg to stay, or to say thank you, or sorry, or break into tears. But instead, he left that for later, and simply excused himself to go change.

 

Upstairs, he found Nyanko-sensei in the hall, looking at him strangely. When he went into his bedroom and sat at his desk, the cat stayed silent, as if waiting for him to react. Finally, he said, “What do you think they’ll want to talk to you about later?”

 

Natsume gave him a look that said, _like you don’t already know,_ and sighed. “Probably about where I’m going next. I’ve never stayed in one house too long—I think I’ve pretty much overstayed my welcome here. Hopefully I’ll go somewhere like this next time, too. I—“ He stopped, realizing he was close to tears as his vision blurred. “It’s nothing new,” He said after a moment. “I’m glad I got to stay here this long, and I’m thankful they let me bother them as much as I did. I . . .” He trailed off, not really wanting to voice what he really thought. He’d hoped this place would become home someday—no, he’d wished he’d be able to stay in this home he made for himself, with this family he made. And he, most of all, should’ve known hope didn’t work for things like this.

 

***

 

Dinner was a solemn, nervous affair. Although Nyanko-sensei tried to get him to come live in the forest with the spirits, and then tried to at least call Tanuma and tell him he might be leaving, and then tried to bodily drag him out of the house to go find “That sparkly brat, because _he’ll_ do something about it—more than _you,_ anyway,” he finally gave up as Touko-san called them down for dinner. Natsume was crushed, if he was being honest. He had so many wonderful people because of the Fujiwaras, just because they’d taken a chance on him, and now he’d ruined it. He supposed they were too good for him—they deserved a kid who would help when they need to, and not get into so much trouble and dirty their things, or bring spirits into the house that could harm them without them even knowing. _They deserved someone other than—_

 

“Takashi-kun?” Touko-san’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see her smiling worriedly at him. “Are you alright? You’ve been staring at your bowl without picking it up for a while now. Do you not feel well?”

 

He quickly assured her he was fine and picked up his rice, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. Shigeru-san smiled at them both as he took a sip of his drink, and Natsume’s eyes got watery again as he realized that this could be the last dinner he has with them. He tried to force himself to not think about it, but it was at the back of his mind the rest of the meal, as he watched Touko and Shigeru-san talk about their days and laugh as Nyanko-sensei tried to steal more food. Albeit a little slowly, the meal came to an end, and Natsume sat practically jittering in his seat as Touko-san cleaned the dishes off the table and Shigeru went to grab something. Almost on auto-pilot he picked up his bodyguard, holding him to his chest like he could protect him for whatever was coming. Shigeru-san walked in the same time Touko-san finished the dishes, and they both sat down across from him looking serious. Almost imperceptibly, Natsume hugged Sensei a bit closer to himself

 

“Takashi,” Shigeru started, sounded serious, and Natsume can tell this must be the end, because he’s never heard any of his foster parents sound as impending as he does now. “You’re allowed to refuse if you wish. We don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything. But,” He looked at Touko-san, and Natsume, in a daze and watching Touko-san open up the package and pull out a packet of official looking papers, thought that this definitely wasn’t something any of his other foster parents had done before.

 

“We’d like to adopt you, Takashi.” Touko-san said with finality, looking determined. Shigeru added gently next to her, “If you’ll have us.”

 

Natsume didn’t really realize he was crying until Nyanko-sensei struggled out of his arms and Touko-san had enveloped him in a hug. He sort of felt like he was dreaming, as Shigeru came up beside Touko-san and put a hand on his head, smiling. His mind caught up with the rest of him and he nodded vigorously, whispering, “Of course. Of course I’ll stay.”

 

There were going to be a lot more talks after that, many serious legal discussions, a lot more crying. They all still had a long way to go. But really, he wouldn’t give it up for anything—no matter what was happening, he really, truly felt like he could stay there. There were no ifs or buts anymore—no one could deny that even before they signed the last of the papers they were a good, whole family. There were moments that still felt like he was dreaming, seconds of panic because he felt as if he could wake up at any moment and not be there, but somewhere in his past where things had seemed so hopeless and lost. He didn’t stay panicked for long, though—any dreams of his could never be as perfect as this.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!!!!!


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